2020’s The Stand, a Stephen King miniseries adaptation on CBS All Access, promises to be a vast, sprawling series filled with divergent plot lines and a host of different characters as well as a recognizable cast of veteran actors and rising stars. Considering the immense scale of King’s post-apocalyptic epic, it’s helpful to learn about the characters before delving into the show. The size of the cast rivals the size of the world, and the tale is filled with good, evil, and morally gray players to enrich the story’s complex themes.
Stephen King’s The Stand follows the aftermath of a devastating lab-created plague that wipes out the majority of the world’s population. The remaining survivors split up into disparate groups and create new societies and cultures based on their leaders’ warring ideologies. On one side is the peaceful and democratic Boulder Free Zone; on the other is the ruthless and totalitarian Las Vegas. The novel explores religion, politics, and social structures and expands on the ever-mysterious “Stephen King multiverse”. The Stand was adapted previously once before in a 1994 miniseries that debuted on ABC.
The new series is set to premiere on CBS All Access, soon to be called Paramount+, on December 17, and will be released on a weekly basis. Josh Boone of The New Mutants developed the show alongside Benjamin Cavell. The show’s writing credits include newcomers Jill Killington and Knate Lee as well as the Master of Horror himself alongside his son, Owen King. The following is a guide to the many faces that appear on the show, including both character and actor background information.
American actor James Marsden stars as Stuart Redman, a man who becomes a test subject due to his immunity to the superflu. He escapes from the lab he is held captive in, though, after a disaster occurs. From there, he becomes one of the primary survivor characters.
Marsden became famous for playing Cyclops, alias Scott Summers, in the original X-Men movies, and appeared in numerous cinematic hits in the aughts like Hairspray, Enchanted, and Superman Returns. He has recently appeared in Sonic the Hedgehog and, on television, has garnered critical acclaim for his roles in HBO’s Westworld as well as the Netflix dark dramedy, Dead to Me.
Australian actress Odessa Young co-stars as a young woman who acts as the moral compass for the survivors’ group and develops a strong relationship with Stu Redman.
Young received critical accalim in 2015 as a new, rising star when she appeared in Looking for Grace and starred in The Daughter, the latter of which she received a Best Lead Actress honor at the AACTA Australian film awards. She recently appeared alongside Elizabeth Moss in Shirley.
American actress Whoopi Goldberg portrays the spiritual leader of the Boulder Free Zone, a peaceful and caring old woman whose prophetic visions help her provide for the community of survivors. Some of Mother Abigail’s followers see her as a god, and she learns that she is destined to be rivals with Randall Flagg.
Goldberg is one of the few people to have received the highly prestigious EGOT, meaning that she has won an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar, and a Tony. Her cinematic accolades are for The Color Purple and Ghost; Goldberg won her award for the latter. She is also famous for her role in the Sister Act movies, and will reprise her iconic role as Star Trek: The Next Generation‘s Guinan on the upcoming Star Trek: Picard season 2.
Swedish actor Alexander Skarsgard portrays Randall Flagg, the main antagonist of the show. Flagg is a cruel dictator who rules over Las Vegas through fear and violence, and wants to go to war with the survivors at the Free Zone, launching the series-long conflict.
Skarsgard has starred in the war drama miniseries Generation Kill and played a vampire sheriff on True Blood, both on HBO. He is most known recently for his role on Big Little Lies, which has earned him a Best Supporting Actor Emmy, as well as a Golden Globe and a Screen Actors Guild Award.
American actress Amber Heard plays Nadine Cross, a former teacher whose loyalty to the rest of the survivors is tested by the temptations of Randall Flagg.
Heard became rose to prominence near the turn of the decade after starring in the 2008 films Never Back Down and Pineapple Express. She is currently most famous for her role as Queen Mera in Aquaman, a character she introduced initially in Justice League.
American actor Owen Teague portrays Harold Lauder, an awkward, socially outcast teen who joins the survivors, but whose spitefulness of Stu and Frannie’s relationship turns his loyalties sour.
This is the second time Teague has appeared in a Stephen King adaptation, as the young actor played the sidekick bully Patrick Hockstetter in the It movies. He has also had roles in Netflix’s Bloodlines and Black Mirror.
British-American actor Jovan Adepo portrays burdgeoning rock star Larry Underwood, who meets up with Nadine Cross and joins the survivors’ fight against Flagg.
Adepo is currently a rising talent, garnering praise for his role as young Cory Maxson in Fences, then again for his television roles in HBO’s The Leftovers and Netflix’s When They See Us. He received a Supporting Actor Emmy nomination for his portrayal of Hooded Justice in Watchmen.
Brazilian actor Henry Zaga plays Nick Andros, a wise and thoughtful survivor who takes on an important leadership role in the Free Zone despite the fact that he is deaf and mute.
Zaga has acted in front of Josh Boone’s camera once before in The New Mutants. Besides this, he has appeared in young adult properties like Netflix’s 13 Reasons Why and Hulu’s Looking for Alaska.
American actor Greg Kinnear plays Glen Bateman, a cranky yet softhearted former sociology professor who meets up with Stu and joins Mother Abigail’s group of survivors. Kinnear has had quite a prolific career, appearing in films from the past three decades like You’ve Got Mail, Little Miss Sunshine, and Brigsby Bear. He was nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his role in the 1997 film, As Good as It Gets.
American actor Ezra Miller plays an insane pyromaniac known only as “Trashcan Man”, who gets recruited into Flagg’s army for his love of blowing stuff up.
Miller turned critics’ heads in the unsettling We Need to Talk About Kevin and the teen drama The Perks of Being a Wallflower. Miller has also played major roles in Hollywood blockbusters like Justice League and the Fantastic Beasts movies.
American actor Nat Wolff portrays psychopathic murderer Lloyd Henreid, who Flagg visits in prison for nefarious purposes. Wolff was a famous child actor in The Naked Brothers Band and continued his career afterward in the young adult romance films The Fault in Our Stars and Paper Towns, as well as Netflix’s live-action adaptation of Death Note.
Heather Graham as Rita Blakemoore: A survivor that travels with Larry Underwood. Heather Graham appeared in Twin Peaks and Fire Walk with Me, and is also well-known for her performances in Boogie Nights and The Hangover films.
Brad William Henke as Tom Cullen: A survivor that travels with Nick Andros. Brad William Henke is a former NFL player who is most known for his role as a ruthless prison guard on Orange is the New Black.
Irene Bedard as Ray Brentner: An Oklahoma farmer who meets up with Nick and Tom. Irene Bedard provided the voice and physical model for the protagonist of the Disney animated classic, Pocahontas.
Daniel Sunjata As Cobb: A character who does not appear in the novel and whose story is still unknown. Daniel Sunjata plays the firefighter Franco Rivera on FX’s Rescue Me and was nominated for a Tony award after starring in the play Take Me Out.
Eion Bailey as Teddy Weizak: A Free Zone survivor that interacts with Harold Lauder. Eion Bailey portrayed Private David Kenyon Webster on the critically acclaimed HBO miniseries Band of Brothers and Pinocchio in the ABC fantasy Once Upon a Time.
Katherine McNamara as Julie Lawry: A disturbed young woman who has dealings with both Nick and Flagg. Katherine McNamara stars as the main character of the Freeform series Shadowhunters and plays Mia Smoak in Arrow.
Hamish Linklater as Dr. Ellis: An infectious disease expert working in the military. Hamish Linklater played main roles in the sitcoms The New Adventures of Old Christine and The Crazy Ones and has appeared in The Big Short and FX’s Legion.
Natalie Martinez as Dayna Jurgens: A survivor who has a romantic interest in Stu Redman. Natalie Martinez is known for her role in Death Race and has appeared in ABC’s The Crossing and Jordan Peele’s revamped The Twilight Zone.
Fiona Dourif as Rat Woman: A creepy Las Vegas vagrant. Fiona Dourif appeared in the fellow dystopian series The Purge and acted alongside her father, Brad Dourif, in Curse of Chucky and Cult of Chucky.
Clifton Collins Jr. as Bobby Terry: One of Flagg’s security henchmen. Clifton Collins Jr. is a character actor who was nominated for an Emmy after appearing in the short-lived FX crime drama, Thief. He also appeared in NBC’s The Event and HBO’s Westworld.
Gabrielle Rose as Judge Harris: A strong-willed survivor living in the Free Zone. Gabrielle Rose is a highly seasoned actress who is recognizable for her roles in The X-Files, Fringe, Once Upon a Time, and most recently, Netflix’s Away.
Originally from https://screenrant.com/cbs-stand-2020-miniseries-cast-character-guide/